Restaurants and other types of retail outlets often provide disposable cutlery utensils in open self-serve dispensing bins. In this manner, consumers may retrieve a cutlery utensil, such as a fork, a spoon, a knife, a spork, and the like, directly from a dispensing bin. Such open dispensing bins, however, may have at least the appearance of being somewhat unhygienic because the cutlery utensils may not be enclosed or wrapped. As a result, consumers may react negatively because the remaining cutlery utensils may be touched or otherwise contacted while a selected cutlery utensil is being removed from the dispensing bin.
To address these concerns relating to cutlery utensils, enclosed cutlery dispensers have been used. Cutlery utensils may be placed and stored in a utensil compartment of the dispenser and may be dispensed therefrom one at a time on command. Generally described, such cutlery dispensers may operate via gravity or via a dispensing lever, a rotating belt, and/or other types of dispensing mechanisms. The mechanics of such dispensing mechanisms, however, may be complex and hence may be subject to malfunction. Further, such cutlery dispensers typically may be somewhat bulky and may occupy a significant footprint on an already crowded countertop and the like.
There is thus a desire for an improved cutlery dispenser for cutlery utensils. Preferably, such an improved cutlery dispenser may be easy and hygienic to load and to dispense the cutlery utensils therefrom and may provide a reduced overall footprint and simplified dispensing mechanics.